The Brutal Truth about the Z35

I think the Z's price has drifted too high now. All this talk of more power is only going to push it even higher.

This is not how you save a sports car. In fact, I seem to recall the 300Z pricing itself into extinction.

Smaller, lighter, cheaper and yes, even..gulp...less power.

A small, light platform may be viable as an economy car with a cheap interior and a weak but fuel efficient motor. Let Infinity sell a version with a nicer interior and stronger motor that hopefully can be used in other infinity's.

If such a platform could be sold with enough volume to make a profit, then Nissan could have the "parts" it needs to make a fun sports car without a price tag that kills sales.

I think the Z's price has drifted too high now. All this talk of more power is only going to push it even higher.

This is not how you save a sports car. In fact, I seem to recall the 300Z pricing itself into extinction.

Smaller, lighter, cheaper and yes, even..gulp...less power.

A small, light platform may be viable as an economy car with a cheap interior and a weak but fuel efficient motor. Let Infinity sell a version with a nicer interior and stronger motor that hopefully can be used in other infinity's.

If such a platform could be sold with enough volume to make a profit, then Nissan could have the "parts" it needs to make a fun sports car without a price tag that kills sales.

As well as gaining weight.. . I would prefer A/C and radio to be an option that I would most likely leave off. If only Nissan had made the 350z Nismo more of a "Club Sport" model much like Porsche did. Truly a car you can drive to the track then drive home.

The 1996 300zx TT was a 46,000 MSRP base no options for paint, interior, radio. Fully optioned it was in the ballpark of 55,000. The special edition ones with the Steve Millen package were around 65,000.

In todays economy those numbers become: (based on the average of 2.19% inflation rate)
70,880.45 for a base TT
84,748.37 for a full optioned TT
100,157.16 for a SMR TT

Yall are disillusioned thinking Nissan will be able to release a 400hp car for anything close to 50k

As well as gaining weight.. . I would prefer A/C and radio to be an option that I would most likely leave off. If only Nissan had made the 350z Nismo more of a "Club Sport" model much like Porsche did. Truly a car you can drive to the track then drive home.

That's exactly what I do with my Nismo. In fact, I'll be traveling about 100mi to and from an AX event this weekend, competing, then out to eat. haha

"Allegedly" is more like a guess or rumor at this point. The VR30DETT is an expensive engine that might or might not make its way into a Z, but no firm decisions have been made by Nissan at this point. The BRUTAL NEWS is Nissan continues to study the market and has not committed to any particular engine or drivetrain at this point.

if you ask me before 2 years how i want the new z to be? i will say wider! faster! bigger aggressive wheels.. but after i've been into Motorsports for few years, open track, autox drift.. i will really want the new Z to be lighter car with smaller wheels coz smaller tires saves allot of money. i see how my friends with GT86 having those 17's i feel jealous how they get tires cheep for drifting.

Things that have been said by Nissan that it will always be a RWD 6 cyl. The very last thing it needs is electric motors. They have other Ideas for light weight small sports cars. This car needs to stay medium weight.

What the car DOES need is aluminum everything, Carbon fiber, Maybe Carbon fiber wheels and brakes on a Nismo RS edition, (Ford got there price for the 350GT R wheels down below 4k a set) and honestly the same-ish power. Bring back the Vq38HR from the RS380. Make it just under 400 HP, get the car down to 3000 pounds or less. It doesnt need to be reinvented or TTed. 350-400 HP on a lightish weight frame, make it for the track. Light wheels big *** brakes, Real racing seats or at least something on par with the Nismo RS juke. The ability to adjust front and rear camber. An Oil cooler. Make it a car thats a good start for track use. (Fix the damn fuel problem with turning right on 370zs) Mechanical LSD On Nismo + editions. with VSLDs on the base.

The BIGGEST problem I have with my Nismo 350 is the seats, I'm constantly against the door and using the steering wheel to try to hold my weight in the center. And im on stock wheels with wider tires on it.

It doesnt need to be as fast in a straight line to compete with mustangs, It needs to be a fun car to throw around the track.

Things that have been said by Nissan that it will always be a RWD 6 cyl. The very last thing it needs is electric motors. They have other Ideas for light weight small sports cars. This car needs to stay medium weight.

We are all used to quotes (from unknown sources) saying the Z needs to be this or that. The BRUTAL TRUTH is there's a new generation of leaders at Nissan and they're the ones who will determine what the next generation of Z cars will be. Anything said in the past about the Z only getting a V6, is just that- the past! The most recent information is Nissan will reposition the Z as a smaller and lighter sportscar, with four-cylinder turbo power looking more and more likely. And as sales of the 370Z continue to drop, there's no pressing need to replace the Z34 model immediately. So don't be surprised if the Z goes out of production for a year or two.

^^ yeah, might be even more than 2 years, better to wait and see a good z with a new chassis rather than a z with the same FM Chassis. its time for the FM platform to retire, perhaps they can use S-chassis as a base and build new chassis for the next z.

Things that have been said by Nissan that it will always be a RWD 6 cyl. The very last thing it needs is electric motors. They have other Ideas for light weight small sports cars. This car needs to stay medium weight.

What the car DOES need is aluminum everything, Carbon fiber, Maybe Carbon fiber wheels and brakes on a Nismo RS edition, (Ford got there price for the 350GT R wheels down below 4k a set) and honestly the same-ish power. Bring back the Vq38HR from the RS380. Make it just under 400 HP, get the car down to 3000 pounds or less. It doesnt need to be reinvented or TTed. 350-400 HP on a lightish weight frame, make it for the track. Light wheels big *** brakes, Real racing seats or at least something on par with the Nismo RS juke. The ability to adjust front and rear camber. An Oil cooler. Make it a car thats a good start for track use. (Fix the damn fuel problem with turning right on 370zs) Mechanical LSD On Nismo + editions. with VSLDs on the base.

The BIGGEST problem I have with my Nismo 350 is the seats, I'm constantly against the door and using the steering wheel to try to hold my weight in the center. And im on stock wheels with wider tires on it.

It doesnt need to be as fast in a straight line to compete with mustangs, It needs to be a fun car to throw around the track.

Agreed on all points!!! But I personally wouldn't mind if they went for light weight and the options you described.

p.s. for the Nismo version I'd love a dual clutch / sequential transmission.

Carbonfibre wheels/brakes and sequential shift/dual clutch trannys? What is this? Just another dreamer thread? The BRUTAL TRUTH is the next Z will be lighter, but Nissan will have to use more conventional materials and designs to keep the price in line. Think limited use of lightweight aluminum, high-strength steel, some CF or composite bodywork and other clever designs to retain torsional rigidity while shedding pounds.

As a racer, my hopes are that the next Z will be track worthy and have a MANUAL transmission that's at least an option. But I see no reason why it has to be a $50-60K sportscar with all the latest tech crapola on it. Keep it driver-focused, durable and affordable to live up to the Z nameplate.

Just resurrecting this thread to discuss the latest auto industry info. Sales of many sports and ponycars have continued to drop, to the point that Ford has idled Mustang production to prevent overfilling their brimming inventories across the country. Sales of Vettes and Porsche sport cars are down as well, as baby boomers take their interest over to sporty crossovers. The BRUTAL TRUTH is that if this trend continues, Nissan may not even green light any more resources for the Z35. You can bet Nissan product planners are keeping a watchful eye on these developments as they contemplate the market for a new Z.

I just recently saw that nissan purchased 34% of mitsubishi, pretty sure this will slow even further the idea of building the new z35. We can still dream and hope for the future. With buying part of mitsu, only time will tell what they are planning on here.

I just recently saw that nissan purchased 34% of mitsubishi, pretty sure this will slow even further the idea of building the new z35. We can still dream and hope for the future. With buying part of mitsu, only time will tell what they are planning on here.

It's actually not too difficult to figure out the plan with Mitsubishi. Nissan wants to use the very strong distribution that Mitsu has developed in SE Asia. In their quest for more small car sales in developing markets, Nissan has an easy in with this purchase. And with Mitsubishi's auto division dwindling value, I bet they got a good deal as well.

All that shouldn't really have much affect on the Z35 decision. Nissan's success allows some flexibility in corporate strategy, but model development decisions are an entirely different matter. If the market for two seat sport cars continues to falter, there won't be a good business case to build a new Z.